office. Only one
Franciscan father, named Fray Bartolome Bermudez, and the two of
the Society who were present--namely, the reverend fathers Luis de
Pedrasa and Father Lorenco Goreto," [50] master in the morning classes
[51]--were of the opinion that the censures should be raised. They
even showed clearly that justice had been rightly exercised, since
the treacherous murder had been committed so openly. Therefore,
and because of other defects in what had been enacted, they proved
that the censures did not bind the commander of artillery, or any one
else. On this account the other religious gave much [opportunity for]
merit to those of the Society, by uttering insulting words against
them. From that time, they conceived so great an aversion for the
fathers of the Society, that it was the beginning of the disturbances
that afterward arose. The governor again requested the archbishop, for
the second and third time, to raise the interdict and the cessation
of divine service. But the latter was so far from complying, that he
refused to answer the papers, and so the matter stood. But afterward,
when we least expected it, in order to please the Recollects and allow
them to celebrate their festival of St. Nicholas, the archbishop lifted
the censures and absolved the commander of artillery, _ad cautelam_
[52]. For the latter did not consider himself as excommunicated, nor
even did learned men regard him as such. That was very apparent then,
for, when he had appealed to the bishop of Camarines, the sentence was
in his favor; and the bishop absolved him from the pecuniary fines
which the archbishop had imposed. Thereupon that tempest was laid,
the principal cause of which was the provisor, Don Pedro de Monroy;
while those who increased its fury were the religious of St. Dominic,
St. Francis, and St. Augustine. On that account, in order to prevent
similar troubles that might arise in the future, the governor undertook
to execute a royal decree, by the terms of which the said provisor
had been proclaimed, in the time of Governor Don Alonso Fajardo,
as banished from the kingdoms. The temporalities had been taken from
him, as is clear from the authentic royal decree which was despatched
for that purpose. Your Grace will notice the lack of accuracy in the
other relation, since its author declares therein that that royal
decree had been repealed, while in truth it was in full vigor and
force. That is so true that there is no unprejudice